Dungeon
by Harun85
Summary: When a happy-go-lucky raccoon finds that the love of his life was killed by Sneer Industries, he sets out on a quest for vengeance.
1. Chapter 1

Dungeon

By Harun

Special Thanks to Nicky4 for editing

ONE

The Evergreen Forest. Quiet, Peaceful, Serene... Today, Cyril Sneer's pigs are helping Melissa Raccoon deliver the Evergreen Standard, as a way to show their gratitude for her placing a lost-and-found advert. Melissa checked her stack of papers in the motorbike's sidecar one last time. "You boys got it?" She asked.

"Yes, we do." Lloyd said.

Two of the pigs were getting into the motorbike, waiting impatiently to return to Sneer Mansion. "Let's go!" Floyd said, lifting his blue and green sleeve to check his watch.

"Wait!" Boyd said. He reached into his pocket and produced a small shiny tin. Its surface glinted off the rising sun.

"What's that?" Melissa asked.

The small tin had a seal on it, and 'Sneer Industries Makeup' written across its front. "A token of our appreciation." He handed it to Melissa.

Melissa put her hands on her hips, smiling at them. "Just what are you trying to say?"

The three fiddled with their matching blue caps. "Aha! Nothing!" All three pigs said in unison.

The trio rode off, and Melissa went into the house. Clouds were gathering, and the morning mist was disappearing. "Who was that?" Ralph Raccoon asked. Melissa craned her neck back, to see him behind her in the kitchen. She giggled as she felt Ralph moving one end of his white scarf down her back.

Melissa grabbed the scarf when it moved down past her pink shirt. "Someone's in a good mood!" She walked over to the table and placed the tin down.

Melissa closed the window by the sink, cutting off the stream of cool air into the room. "How couldn't I be?" Ralph said. He picked up a magazine on the table. "What's this?"

Various white dresses spread across the center page, showing a lovely badger bride holding flowers. "It's a tin, dear... I think it says 'makeup' on the front, could you check for me?"

Ralph laughed. He wouldn't be getting any info from her, so he decided to change the subject. "You? Need Makeup? Not in my world!" He kissed her. "It couldn't be for the pigs..."

He looked out the window. "When are you going to pickup Lisa?" Ralph asked.

"Why?"

"Looks like it's going to rain tonight. I can feel it."

"Pretty soon. Speaking of which, what're you going to do with Bert tonight?"

"I'm not doing anything with him. I'm going out with Schaeffer."

Melissa rinsed her teacup out in the sink. "Come on, he's not so bad when he's drinking."

"Heh. Tell that to Schaeffer. He's still angry that Bert hasn't paid for the picture frame he threw at the dart board last week."

The two turned toward a rustling in the other room. Melissa checked the clock. It couldn't be. Bert up before noon? "Is something wrong, Bert?" Melissa asked.

A half-awake Bert Raccoon stumbled into the kitchen, wearing an oversized red sweater marked with a large yellow 'B' in the center. "No..." Bert said, opening the fridge. "Why?"

"Well, it's only seven, and you're usually not up until noon..."

Bert closed the fridge as Melissa walked over to Ralph. "What's wrong with getting up early? Besides, I heard some rustlin' in the yard." He took a pan out of the bottom cabinet.

Melissa was watching Bert. "Do you think people can change?" She asked Ralph.

"What do you mean?" Ralph said.

Melissa looked outside, to the front yard. "Well, the pigs. I think they're... Different."

The gas stove came to life. "You got that right!" Bert said.

"Maybe they can change, I don't know... You just take it easy tonight, Melissa."

Bert poured pancake mix onto the skillet. "So, you two have anything planned?" Bert asked.

"We're both going to be busy tonight." That was just the line Bert needed to hear.

A grin spread across his face, and he nudged Ralph in the ribs. "Is that why you two were so quiet this morning?" Melissa started to blush. She quickly hid the magazine under a chair. Bert didn't need any more fuel.

Ralph punched Bert in the arm. "For your information, Melissa's having a party tonight, and I'm going to hang out with Schaeffer. That's all."

"Can I-" Bert started.

"No." Both said.

Bert seemed taken aback by this. "And why not?"

"Because you're a terrible party guest-"

"And a mean drunk." Ralph cut Melissa off.

"Don't worry. I've got a surprise for you soon, and it rhymes with 'Lisa'." A few seconds passed before Bert rushed out of the room.

"Wait, Bert." Melissa said. She picked up the tin and handed it to him.

"What's this?" Bert asked. Melissa leaned in and whispered to him. Bert's smile widened.

"Gee, thanks Melissa!" He said before heading to his room.

"What did you say to him?" Ralph asked, turning off the stove.

"Nothing... Just something to help things along. " Melissa said, moving in to give Ralph another kiss.

"What're you up to, Melissa?"

"He doesn't know what Lisa's got planned for tomorrow."

"...Do I want to know?"

Melissa rubbed her nose against his. "You won't be here tonight..." She enunciated the first word as she broke off the gaze and nudged him toward the living room. Melissa looked at the table, and then up the stairs leading to Bert's room. What a night it would be, indeed.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Sneer Mansion, there were other plans being hatched. A large factory in one corner of the property sent out smoke in a steady stream. It was a new factory that Cyril Sneer had purchased, and it was his newest money making scheme. Cyril's three pigs, Lloyd, Boyd, and Floyd, were working in the factory that day, preparing the second batch of Sneer Industries makeup.

The midday sun streamed in through the factory windows, onto a large machine marked 'cosmetics'. "Put it in!" Lloyd tried to shout above the whirr of the machine. He shoved a large bag into it's top.

"Take it out!" Boyd pulled a lever, squeezing the bag's contents into the machine.

Water started to swish around inside, mixing the contents together. "Rawhide!" Floyd shouted, watching the dials on the machine come to life.

"You know I don't like that word!" Lloyd pointed a finger at Floyd.

Floyd motioned the other two over to him. "That material doesn't look right..." Boyd said.

Lloyd fanned his face to try shooing away the large clouds of dust that belched from the machine every time they started it up. "...Doesn't smell right, either!" Boyd said.

"It's normally got a pink color to it, and this isn't pink." Boyd took a handful in his hoof and sniffed at it. "It's grainy, too..." He wiped his hoof on a nearby towel.

"Don't worry about it. It's probably just a new recipe! Let's go tell the boss!" He hopped down, walking by the large 'Sneer Industries' placard on the wall.

The trio started on their way to Cyril's office. "Where's that towel?" Lloyd asked as they walked out of the factory.

Boyd coughed. "...I don't, uh... I don't know." He said. Lloyd and Floyd looked at him.

"Are you alright?" Lloyd asked.

"He's fine! Let's get going!" Floyd said.

* * *

Bert Raccoon could barely contain himself. Lisa was coming over. From that first time he saw her step off the train, he had fallen for her. They had been steady for a while, and he had seen how happy she was with him. Nothing could go wrong tonight, absolutely nothing.

Ralph knocked on the door of Bert's bedroom. "Is she here yet?" Bert asked.

Ralph stepped over a long-sleeved winter sweater on the floor. "Melissa should be back with her any minute." Bert was never one to grasp the concept of tidiness.

"Yahoo!" Bert jumped in the air.

He had planned for what he was going to say to her. "Do I look alright?"

There was an unusually long pause from Ralph. "No worse than usual..."

Bert waved his fist at his friend. "You'll see! Tonight's gonna be a special night!" He went to his window and opened it.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ralph asked. "You've got no money to bring her out."

"How do you know that?"

"Lady Baden-Baden offered you that job this summer in her garden, and all you did was play around with Broo."

Bert chuckled. "A man's gotta have his priorities, my dear Ralph. And besides, Broo'n I were-"

"Ralph? Bert? We're back!" Bert's lopsided ears immediately honed in on the small bit of chatter Melissa and Lisa were having downstairs. He could only make out snippets; 'sure?' and 'surprise', but he felt better already.

"Well, it looks like our guest has arrived." Ralph turned to head out of the room, but Bert held him back with a hand on his shoulder.

"You sure I look alright?" Bert asked. Ralph laughed and took Bert's hand off.

"Stop worrying. It's not like you're getting married!" Ralph closed his eyes and chuckled. When he didn't hear Bert laughing, his laughter died away, replaced by a look of surprise.

"You're-"

Ralph turned and bolted out of the room, starting up with more chuckling. "RALPH!" Bert shouted. Bert ran to catch him. Just as the two came to the stairs, Ralph leaned to one side, allowing Bert to tumble, not so gracefully, down to the floor.

Ralph was still laughing at the top when Bert recovered. Bert felt the touch of a girl helping him up. "Are you alright, Bert?" The sweet voice asked. He opened his eyes to see Lisa in front of him, with a worried look on her face.

"I'll be right back." Lisa said. She helped Bert up the stairs, and Bert felt his hand start to tingle as it brushed against the strap of her overalls.

"Why can't you two talk here?" Ralph asked Lisa. He winked at Bert.

Bert returned the comment with a look. "I swear to god, Ralph..."

"We need somewhere more private." Lisa said. She took Bert into his room.

Melissa put an arm around Ralph's neck, and started to squeeze. "Would you mind telling me what that was all about?"

Ralph whispered in Melissa's ear. Her face went white. "Are you serious?" Ralph nodded. Melissa started laughing and clapping her hands together. She let Ralph go and walked to the front door.

"Melissa... What do you know about this?" Ralph asked.

She turned and waved at him. "Why do you think I was looking at dresses?" Ralph chased after her.

"It's good to see you, Lisa!" Bert said, throwing his arms as far around her as he could. She returned his embrace.

"Hey, Bert!" Lisa said. "I've got something for you." Bert felt another fluttering in his stomach. The pain from his bruises seemed to disappear. This, added to the genuine look of concern she had for him downstairs, would make his goal a piece of cake.

"You didn't have to do that..." Bert began. He worried that she had spent her summer savings on something. Both of them were secretly trying to save and buy gifts for the other.

Her cheeks turned a shade of red. "Well..." This was something important.

"I want to... I want to show you something tomorrow." Bert's heart seemed to pulse out of control at hearing this. What a great opportunity! She had somewhere, or something, special in mind that she had picked for him. What better place to give his own token of affection?

"But not tonight." Lisa said. "There's going to be a full moon tomorrow. We'll head out at dusk." She smiled and looked into his eyes. Now, more than ever, Bert wanted this night to pass by.

"You remember the first time we went to the lake?" Bert said.

Lisa started to blush again. She stood up and walked to the door. Bert reached out and squeezed her hand. "Will you..." A shot of blood rushed to his face, as he fought desperately to stem the next few words from catching up.

"What's that, Bert?"

Bert's face was turning red. "Will you... Take this?" He reached into his pocket for the tin.

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him again. Bert could smell the scent of lilacs in her hair. "Glad you like it..." He said.

Lisa then leaned in, nose-to-nose with him. "See you tomorrow, Bert..." Lisa gave him a deep, affectionate kiss.

"Lisa!" Melissa called from downstairs. Bert let his fingers fall across hers in a dance as she walked out of the room.

Bert took a long breath and looked at his reflection in the mirror. The red menace returned, and he leapt to his bed, burying his face into a pillow. Sleep overtook the anxious raccoon soon after he realized that the sooner morning came, the sooner he could add the words 'marry me' to the end of that sentence and make his dreams complete.

There sure were a lot of screams in his dreams, Bert thought. The approaching princess, clad in a basketball jersey, sounded an awful lot like Ralph, too... Their lips met, and Bert was greeted not with the smell of lilacs, but of whiskey. The image of Lisa's face slowly morphed into that of Ralph. "Bert!" Bert opened his eyes. Ralph was in front of the raccoon, shaking him violently. He sounded hysterical. Ralph's scarf was untied, and hung around his neck. One end was tinged with vomit, and the other was soaked in a strong-smelling whiskey.

"Wake up, Bert!" He was sobbing. Bert rubbed his eyes and tried to gather what time it was.

"Gee Ralph, what's wrong?" Bert said, still sleepy.

"It's Lisa!" That got Bert's attention. A bolt of energy flowed through his body, and he jumped out of bed.

"What's happened to Lisa?"

"She's..." More sobbing. Something had happened to Lisa, and Ralph wasn't going to answer him. This couldn't be good.

"Lisa!" Bert shouted. He ran downstairs, looking in the living room. Items were strewn out on the floor, as if someone had run into them. "Lisa!" He shouted again. Where was she? A loud wind came from the kitchen, where Ralph was standing. Bert ran in, and was met with a sight that took the breath from his lungs.

Lisa lay on the floor, face down. Her tail was limp; her hands were sprawled to either side. The wind died down, replaced by a ticking clock in the kitchen. Each tick was then replaced by the sound of his heart beating. "Lisa!" Bert went to her body and turned her over. Two very large blotches, black in color, showed on her cheeks. Her eyes were closed, her mouth slightly open.

The blotches were leaking down her face, and a stream came from her mouth, staining her pink shirt. "NO NO NO NO LISA NO NO NO LISA-" Each syllable paused by sobbing. Bert's face sank into her limp form. He continued wailing for his dear love, when he felt something on his cheek. It wasn't from his tears.

Bert turned his head to see again those hideous black blotches. They were leaking down her body, and had stained his face. "Bert?" Three Ralphs were standing by him. Ralph, Lisa, the table, the window, Ralph one, Ralph three, Lisa, the table... Bert collapsed.

"Bert!" Ralph shouted. Bert felt his friend helping him onto a chair by the table. The raccoon fell to sobbing, throwing his head against the hard wood.

He would have knocked himself out, were it not for a small tin that lodged itself into his forehead. "Look at this..." Bert held the tin up. It's surface shined, and the words 'Sneer Industries Makeup' were scrawled on it.

Ralph took it from Bert. "It's the tin Melissa gave you this morning." He opened it to find a small yellow ticket fastened to the cap. It was a winning lottery ticket... In small writing, the ticket advised the lucky winner to pickup their prize at Sneer Mansion.

With all his force, Ralph threw the tin against the wall. "Give me that!" Bert said. He picked up the tin and read the ticket, and his eyes narrowed.

Bert placed the tin in his left pocket, and the ticket in his right. "He's gonna pay..." Bert said.

* * *

A loud sneeze came from a certain aardvark. He wiped his nose, before realizing that his cigar was setting fire to the tissue. He threw it down and shouted. Another sneeze was building up. The air in Sneer Mansion was unusually cold for this time of year. His eyes twitched, his nose wrinkled, and Cyril Sneer let loose another massive sneeze. "Get in here!" Cyril shouted to the pigs.

The three pigs rushed in, each with a nervous look on their faces. "Turn up the heat!" Cyril said. One of the pigs, Lloyd, looked at the others before responding.

"But sir..." He started.

"I don't want to hear it! You turn it up, or I'll use you as kindling!" Lloyd backed down.

Boyd eyed his boss and took off his cap. "But sir..." He started coughing again, holding the cap to his nose. "We're already using a lot of power for the factory. That's why we don't have a lot of power to heat the whole mansion."

Cyril grumbled. "I should have never listened to Cedric!" His son, Cedric, had convinced him to start a line of cosmetics. Too much business sense, or not enough, Cyril thought, had crept into the boy's head.

Cyril heard whispering. The pigs were huddled together, discussing something. "What're you pork barrels babbling about?"

"Well, boss..." Floyd began. He tried to hide behind the other two.

"Spit it out!" Cyril said.

"Well, there's been a problem with the machine..." Cyril turned from the window. He had a notion that the next few words would involve his two worst fears; lost revenue and bad news.

"What do you mean?" He turned back to the window, looking down at the small factory.

"Those tickets that Master Cedric talked about, well, there's been a mistake in the number."

Cyril laughed. "What's bad about that? No tickets means no lost revenue! This calls for a celebration!" He reached into a drawer for a small shot glass.

"No, boss. There've been too many tickets printed. It seems that one in five has a ticket, instead of one in one hundred..." Cyril coughed, and dropped the small glass.

"WHAT?" Cyril shouted. His eyes blazed, and the pigs cowered in fear at their boss' next response.

"You get out there and find those tickets! Find every last one! And if I have to pay anyone, it's coming out of your pockets!"

"Yes sir, yes sir!" The three said in unison. They ran out of the room.

"We need to find those tickets!" Lloyd said, buckling his helmet on.

"Did we give 'em to anyone lately?" Boyd asked.

"Yeah. We gave one of 'em to Melissa!" Floyd said.

"Well then, let's go get 'em back!" Boyd started the motorbike, and the trio set off to save their skins.

* * *

The black substance dripping down the wall was not only on Lisa, but now on Bert. "So the makeup's to blame..." Ralph was cleaning Bert's face with a rag.

"Where's Melissa?" Bert asked.

Ralph had an idea of where his wife was, and it worried him. "I don't know..."

"I'm gonna find 'em! I'm gonna find 'em and rip their hearts out!" Bert grabbed the rag from Ralph, and it fell to the floor. Bert noticed a magazine under the table.

"I know what you're feeling, Bert, but you can't just rush into this. You don't think that they're going to welcome you in with open arms and apologize for everything, do you?"

One of Bert's eyes was fixed on the bride in the photograph, the other on Lisa. "I'm going to have my revenge, one way or the other." Bert said.

"Let me see that tin." Ralph said. Bert handed it to him, and he looked it over. "You need a plan if you're going to go after anyone. First off, you need to find out where this all came from." Ralph handed the tin back to Bert.

Bert clenched his fists, squeezing the container. "It says right on it, 'Sneer Industries'! Are you blind?"

"There's no reason for that, Bert. I'm just as angry as you are."

"Doesn't sound like it!" Bert shouted. "She meant everything to me! And you weren't there to stop it!"

Ralph got in Bert's face. "And how was I supposed to be there? I was out with Schaeffer and the girls were having a party." This wasn't his fault, and he wouldn't be blamed for it.

"I see how it is... If you're not going to help me, then to hell with you!" Bert stomped upstairs toward his room.

He kicked open the door and looked for his backpack. The relationship between Bert and Ralph had always been tense, even during school. Bert would rush into things without thinking, and find out first-hand if his idea worked. Ralph, on the other hand, preferred to layout a plan and stick to it, like a scientist would. He was interrupted by Ralph talking on the phone.

Bert peeked downstairs at Ralph. "Alright, thanks." Ralph said.

Ralph hung up the phone, and noticed Bert. "Who was that?" he asked. Ralph gazed back into the kitchen before walking into the bedroom.

"I called the cops. They're going to come over as soon as they can."

"Are you nuts!" Bert shouted. "They're going to blame us!"

A strong odor came into the air. It was the smell of Lisa's makeup. "Not if we explain ourselves. There's no reason to worry." Ralph said. The room felt empty, more so than usual.

"Are you alright?" Ralph asked.

"Yeah." Bert started into the kitchen again, before he heard Ralph.

"Oh no!" Bert came into Ralph and Melissa's bedroom.

"What's wrong?" Ralph was looking into a box that was resting on top of a chest at the foot of their bed.

Their room, unlike the living room and the kitchen, was relatively clean. "It's gone!" Ralph said.

"What's gone?"

"My pistol."

Bert was surprised. "What would you guys need a pistol for?" Bert asked.

"It's a long story, Bert. It's actually Melissa's."

"So, you're not strong enough to protect her?"

Ralph regarded Bert for what seemed like an hour. The two daggers in his eyes thrust into the raccoon. "...And were you strong enough to protect Lisa?" On further thought, Ralph knew that arguing would get them nowhere. "She just feels safer with it. When she was younger..." Ralph trailed off.

"What?"

Ralph closed the bedroom door. "I said, 'I know who did this.'"

Bert looked outside. "Then you can wait here to tell the cops..." The wind was still howling. He took one last look at his love, and knelt down to her body.

"I swear I'm gonna find out who did this..." This was it; the point of no return. He would either bring back her killer, or die in the process.

"Let me go get a few things." Bert said. He walked back to his room.

Bert threw a baseball bat into his backpack. How could Ralph be so callous? He was too wrapped up in the minute details of everything to see the big picture. Someone did this. No, someone planned this. There was no accident, no mistake. Bert knew where to start looking.

All he had now was his memory with her. His plan to be with her tomorrow, and forever after, was ruined. He looked down again at the shining tin.

He could hear the phone being picked up again downstairs. "Bert?" Ralph said. Bert wiped sweat from his forehead. Bert worried that now he would not be able to find Sneer and avenge Lisa. The police here, not to mention the coroners, would make for a very hard time to get out of the house.

If he was going to make his move, then he decided it would be before they all arrived. Bert placed his hand on his chest, to feel his pulse quickening. The mere thought of sneaking away gave him a bit of energy. He saw a small flashlight and put it into his backpack. "Gimme a second, Ralph!" Bert said. Wind hit him in the face as the window creaked open. He had sneaked out a few times before with Cedric, but Cedric had also brought a rope he could climb down from. Bert turned, jerking himself away from the window as a pair of lights came into view. Now or never.

"Bert?" It cut through the night air in the bedroom. The raccoon turned behind him to see Ralph standing in the doorway. Panic overtook Bert, and he started for the window. Falls were never pretty, but this one was going to have to be quiet, or else the police would hear what they assumed to be a screaming raccoon who was fleeing the crime scene.

Bert looked down to the ground. The police car was pulling onto their road. He took one last look back at Ralph. "Bert!" Ralph shouted. A sharp pain came from Bert's right foot. He grit his teeth to keep from screaming. He had landed wrong, instead of dropping forward.

"Bert! What the hell are you doing!" Ralph said. Bert looked up to see his friend leaning out the window. Bert didn't speak. He turned to the trees by their house. He knew that Ralph would probably try to find him. Another hand on his way to Sneer Mansion wouldn't be a bad idea.

He waved to Ralph. "I'll be waiting up ahead when you're done." Ralph's face contorted into an image of anger. He was being left alone to deal with people who would question him as to the whereabouts of his friend. Bert could see the cogs creaking in Ralph's head as he tried to scream at him. The only thing Ralph did do, however, was nod slowly and point in a certain direction. Bert recognized it as the old fork in the road, near the large tree that headed to Sneer Mansion.

"I'll meet you there... You'd better know what you're doing..." Ralph popped back in the house.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

Ralph shut the window, and swore under his breath. He looked down outside, to the approaching lights. He had a few minutes to decide on an action. Such a stupid friend that he had, but also such a valid reason he had for his actions. His whiskey-stained scarf would not be of any benefit when the police questioned him; neither would his attempts at explaining himself. What else could he do besides meet Bert? There had to be a way to protect Lisa.

The police officers could watch her, but then he'd have to stay behind to answer all their questions. Bert's words prodded him now. "So, you're not strong enough to protect her?" How could he stay behind, knowing that Melissa was trying to avenge her niece, just as Bert was off to avenge his love? He felt sweat coming down his face. What was the best plan to escape?

Bang. He was jarred out of his thoughts by a wrapping at the front door downstairs. "Mr. Raccoon?" A voice said. His pulse raced. Ralph ran downstairs to see the silhouette of a rabbit in the doorway. He looked over to Lisa's body in the kitchen. The back door was unlocked. That would give him an escape route. When he escaped through that door, the cops would notice it, and he would have someone around to protect Lisa's body until the three came back. "Mr. Raccoon, I can hear you. Open the door." Ralph started to breathe heavily. His words to Bert were laughing at him. He was the one who was losing his wits now.

Ralph made for the back door. It was so hard to see the body of his niece, with those hideous blotches on her cheeks. Ralph tipped over a chair while trying to step over Lisa. The officer's silhouette vanished from the front of the door. His backup plan was now cut off. He thought about a last resort. The upstairs jump was too risky, so Ralph decided on his bedroom. Even if the officer tried to run in, he would be too late to catch Ralph.

His bedroom was dark. Not wanting to turn on the lights, he bumped into a chest at the foot of their bed. He noticed that it was opened. Inside, Ralph saw a small bottle labeled 'cold medicine'. This small bit of medicine would be better than nothing if he got sick ahead. Beside it was a small purse of Melissa's. Ralph slipped the medicine into it. "This is officer Bradley. We've got a homicide here." The officer was in the kitchen. The window was open, his last chance to slip out. Ralph pushed through most of the window, when his foot brushed against their bedside lamp. The resulting crash sent footsteps bearing down towards him.

"Mr. Raccoon!" The voice boomed out from behind him. Ralph escaped before Bradley could take hold of him. He knew the route to the meeting place he and Bert had agreed on. He ran for it, clutching the small purse for dear life. At least Lisa was safe now.

He saw the figure of another raccoon up ahead. Bert was waiting by a tree. "Ralph..." Bert waved his hands. "What happened?"

"Never mind. They'll probably be after us soon." Bert's eyes widened at hearing this.

"What did you do?"

"Lisa's safe now. That's all you need to know."

Bert chuckled. "You're looking dashing, I must say." He pointed to Ralph's purse.

"Here." Ralph handed Bert a few capsules of medicine.

"I don't need this..." Bert said, studying the capsules for a second before dropping them into his backpack.

"I've gotta tell you something, Bert..." The two had been walking for half an hour. Bert looked ahead, at the fork in the road. One path lead to the left, and the other to the right.

"It's about Lisa." Bert stopped.

Birds were chirping, giving the forest an almost dreamlike quality. In the back of his mind Bert wished that it was a dream, and that the wind rustling through the trees would wake him up. "What about her?"

"Bert, there's another reason Lisa was coming over tonight. She was-" Ralph stopped. The raccoon was looking at him.

Bert was looking at a group of fallen sticks by the base of the large tree. "I was going to propose to her tonight..." Bert cut him off.

"The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't say 'em. Now she'll never know."

Ralph's mouth was opened slightly, as if he was trying to speak. He noticed a single flower by the tree, growing despite the sticks around it. "You're wrong, Bert."

Bert saw a group of birds at the top of the large tree. "What?" He said.

The birds suddenly took flight, and Ralph stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"What're you doing?" Bert said. Ralph crouched. He put his finger to his lips, and Bert hid behind a bush.

"What is it?" Bert whispered.

"What?" Ralph said.

"I said, 'What is it'?" Bert said in a louder voice.

Ralph put his finger to his lips again. "There's something over there..." Ralph said. Bert saw one of Cyril's pigs walking near a large tree by the forked road. It seemed odd for him to be without his two brothers.

The pig looked sickly. He stopped by the tree to cover his mouth, then spit onto the ground. "Wonder what he's doin' out here." Bert moved out from behind the tree. He couldn't show his angry side to the pig; it would just ruin his chance to get some info about Sneer.

Ralph waved his hands, trying to tell Bert to stop, but it was no use. Bert walked over to the pig. "What's wrong, little buddy?" Bert asked.

The pig wiped his mouth. "It's nothing..." He said.

"Come on, Floyd. You can tell me!" Bert said.

"It's Boyd!" Boyd said. "Well..." Boyd removed a tin from his shirt pocket. Bert felt a sinking sensation in his gut. The tin in his pocket started to burn.

"I was looking for these tickets."

Bert reached into his pocket and showed Boyd the small yellow ticket. "You mean, like this one Cyril made?"

"I'll take that!" Boyd shouted, reaching for the ticket. He snatched the ticket from Bert and ran into a thicket.

"Get back here!" Bert shouted. As Bert started to run, he felt a sharp tugging at his leg. He fell to the ground.

Bert looked behind him to see Floyd, holding a rope. "Bert!" Ralph shouted. He rushed out of the bush to help Bert. Bert watched as a rope came down from a tree, to wrap itself around Ralph's leg. So it was a trap...

Ralph tried to free himself, but fell against a rock. Bert heard a popping sound, followed by a scream. The two were in trouble.

"Let's go, Boyd!" Lloyd shouted. Lloyd jumped down from a nearby tree, loosening the rope on Ralph.

"You idiot! You broke his leg!" Boyd said.

"Don't blame me! You were the one with the plan!" Lloyd shot back.

The three headed for their motorbike. "All that matters is that we've got the ticket! Now let's go find the others!" Floyd said. Bert tried to catch them, but they were too fast. Now, at least, he had confirmed that the tickets came from Sneer. Time to press on.

A minute later, Bert walked back and surveyed the damage. Ralph's leg looked to be in bad shape. His friend could walk, but not without considerable effort. Ralph rested on a tree, his back to Bert.

Bert put a hand on Ralph's shoulder. "So... Guess I shoulda listened..." Silence.

"I'm gonna try to set your leg back. Hold still." Ralph grit his teeth as Bert put one hand on the back of his leg. Ralph winced.

"Don't touch it, Bert! I can manage on my own." Ralph said. He wrapped his scarf around the injury.

"We gotta get goin'! Come on, Ralph!" Bert said.

"You know what, Bert? I'm tired of your games!" Ralph shouted. There was anger in his words. "If you would've listened to me, then we wouldn't be stuck like this!" Ralph tried to stand. Bert went over to him to help him up, but was pushed back.

"I already lost my niece today, and I'm not losin' my wife 'causa your games, Bert!"

"Ralph! Wait!" Bert said. Ralph was ignoring him. He continued to lumber forward, toward the left path in the road.

"You said something earlier about some other reason for Lisa coming over?" Ralph stopped and looked back at Bert.

Ralph's eyes were calm, almost serene, as he spoke. "Lisa was going to propose to you tomorrow."

Something stirred inside Bert. "How do you know?" He asked.

"Melissa told me." Ralph turned back and continued on the path.

"Ralph!" Bert shouted.

He had failed. He had failed to protect his love, he had failed to protect his friends, and now he was alone again. His head lowered, he felt like sobbing. Bert wiped his eyes, and noticed the lone flower by the large tree. He knelt down and plucked it. It seemed to draw him in, in to simpler times, times when he was happy. The flower set off so many memories in him, memories that he would never get to share with her again.

* * *

Crickets gave a special warmth to any night at Evergreen Lake. Tonight, these crickets were playing for two raccoons who were wrapped in each other's arms, gazing up at the moon. She nestled into him, and he with his arms around her. Both of them knew that morning would come to ruin this moment and they would have given anything to extend the night.

"You know she'll be looking for us..." Lisa said as Bert reassured her with a kiss. She giggled and sat up. Moonlight reflected off the lake, creating a foggy reflection of two individuals who seemed fated for each other.

Lisa started to check her hair and tuck her shirt in. "Mom's always like that. She'll never let up... Probably got Bentley looking for us."

Bert sat up. The two looked into the lake for another minute. Bert stood up to put on his sweater, which the two had used to sit on. Bert felt Lisa's arms closing in on him before he could pull his hands through the sleeves. She was pressing into his back, and she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Will you-" Lights came on across the lake, and Lisa crouched down, in an attempt to stay hidden.

"What?" Bert adjusted his shirt and crouched down, seeing the lights.

Bert crept up beside her on all fours, and ran his fingers along her back. "Stop it, Bert!" She put a hand to her mouth.

"Will I what?" He started tickling her. "Come on, tell me!"

"Nothing!" She was smiling. Even in the moonlight, her eyes beamed. "You'll find out soon enough..."

* * *

After traveling for a few miles, Bert caught his breath in a wooded area outside the gates of Sneer Mansion. Ralph was nowhere to be found. The sounds of the night reminded him of Lisa. The owl's hooting questioned who killed her, and the twigs breaking nearby were Ralph's broken bones. He kept hearing Ralph's words in his head.

He'd been through too much. She'd been through too much. He'd put Ralph and Melissa through too much. Ralph was right in planning things out. His old friend waited in the bush, calm and reserved, ready to put his plan into action.

That's what Bert needed; a plan. He would prove to Ralph that he could help both of them. He heard a squeaking sound up ahead. Bert ducked down, as he had seen Ralph do, and moved toward a bush.

"Hurry!" A voice said.

"I think that's all of them, Lloyd!" Boyd said.

Bert peeked in to see what they were doing. "Count again! I'm not going back to the boss without those tickets!" Lloyd said. The trio was messing up the entry code at the front gate of Sneer Mansion.

"Never mind the ti-" Boyd leaned out of the motorbike and hacked up a long string of dark phlegm. "I need to get to bed!"

The pig's face was pale, in contrast to his brothers'. Bert saw the phlegm's color. No, it wasn't... He had to move fast if he wanted to get in. He analyzed the area around the gate; the motorbike was a stone's throw away, while the pigs were closer. One of them would have to manually open the gate, meaning he'd be the one out of the motorbike.

Bert slowed his breath as he picked up a rock. Timing was key. His heart pulsed as he focused his aim on Lloyd's head.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

Cyril Sneer lit another cigar. He was keeping an eye on the large black-and-white monitor on his desk. The storm was picking up.

"Hi, pops." Cyril turned around to see his son, Cedric. The young aardvark was clad in his usual coke-bottle glasses and combed hair. He looked worried. Cyril quickly turned off the monitor.

"Cedric! When did you get home?" He walked over to Cedric, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Gee, pops. You told me to come home right away on account of those tickets."

"Yeah, there's been some sort of problem in the number of tickets we sent out. I need you to take a look at it."

"What's wrong with the tickets?"

Cyril laughed nervously. "Well..."

"What?"

"There's been a problem with the way the tickets were dispersed. Instead of one in one hundred winners, it's one in five!"

"Gee, pops, that'll wreak havoc on our profits, won't it?"

Cyril smiled at this. His boy was on the fast track to becoming a fine Sneer. "Well, that's the problem. I know a few of the winners are about to show up soon. I need you to go deal with 'em. Tell 'em to come back tomorrow, when this is all taken care of. And pickup their tickets!"

Cedric nodded and left the room. Cyril turned back to the monitor and watched it flicker to life. Two images separated the screen in halves one of a raccoon boy with an out-of-fashion purse and white scarf around his leg, and a raccoon girl wearing a pink shirt. It was too perfect. "Those meddling raccoons..." Cyril said, taking a slow drag on his cigar. "I'll make sure they don't get to claim a-ny-thing..." He pressed a button beside his monitor. Burly shadows soon approached from off screen, and the two figures screamed into the silence.

* * *

"Got i-" Lloyd's speech was stopped by a rock connecting with his temple. "Ueahh..." Lloyd fell to the ground. The yellow ticket drifted down into the dirt.

"Hurry up! They're out there somewhere!" Boyd said.

Floyd jumped out of the motorbike and beat on the keypad. "I'm hurryin'! I can't remember it!" Floyd said.

"All that matters is that we've got these tickets!" Floyd said. His pockets were stuffed with tickets the trio had collected. All their failures had been accounted for, and they had saved themselves from doom.

"That's it!" Floyd said. He entered the security code into the gate. It beeped. Boyd was lifting Lloyd into the motorbike.

"Behind you!" Boyd shouted.

Bert slammed Floyd into the gate. "Gimme that ticket!" Bert shouted, "Or you're mincemeat!" Floyd quickly emptied his pockets. Bert grabbed the pig's shirt collar and hoisted him into the air.

"You're all gonna regret what you did..." His hot breath seemed to singe Floyd in such close proximity. The pig reacted by biting Bert's hand.

"Yipes!" Bert shouted. Floyd fell to the ground, and ran to his brothers.

"We tried to tell her!" Boyd shouted before they sped off. The gate was left wide open. Who was the 'her' that Boyd was talking about? Lisa? Melissa? No... They didn't warn 'her' about anything. Sneer had planned this all, and used the pigs for cover. Bert knelt down to retrieve the ticket.

There he was, at the entrance to Sneer Mansion. Bert figured that he should try to make a plan. He took a deep breath and flung his hands in the air. He looked up, to see Cedric's window. That was his usual entrance when the front door would not work, but how would he get up there? The two had usually concocted a crude rope tied to the nearby tree, and climbed up, hand-over-hand.

There was no rope that he could use. He judged the distance between the tree's longest branch and Cedric's window. He would give it a shot. Bert climbed the tree, and came close to the window before the branch snapped.

There had to be another way in. The small drainage pipes near the mansion's edge may be able to hold his weight. He could climb up, and make his way from the roof into Cedric's room. Bert started up one of the drains, but halfway up, it gave way under his weight. He managed to grab onto a window before falling.

Many people had told him that he was a thief, and it was time he tried the act out. He already had a dashing mask on his face. With effort, Bert pulled himself up and forced open the window. He would have to make his way inside, which would be more difficult because of Cyril's ruthless bears.

Bert covered his mouth, managing to muffle a loud sneeze. He turned on his flashlight, to look around Cedric's room. An open suitcase sank into the bed. Bert couldn't stay long. His plan was to get downstairs, and confront Cyril before Ralph arrived. If he could save Melissa too, then he could hold it in front of Ralph, proving that he could plan for anything.

He walked around the room, looking for something that could tie Sneer to the makeup. Cedric's door opened. Bert froze in his tracks. "Bert?" Cedric's nasal announcement cut through the air. "What're you doing here?" Bert reached into his pocket to bring out the torn ticket. Cedric had a look of confusion on his face. His eyes lit up when he saw the ticket.

"Oh, so you won!" Cedric exclaimed.

Strike one. "It's Lisa's..." Bert said in a monotone voice. Cedric chuckled.

Strike two. "Wow! She must be one lucky lady!"

Strike three. Bert couldn't control himself. He flew into a rage, and latched onto Cedric's neck. Blow after blow landed on the aardvark's face.

"You son of a bitch!" Bert yelled.

"Bert!" Cedric said. "What-" With a tightening grip on Cedric's neck, Bert kept on punching with the other fist. Cedric reached out, to grab at a nearby desk. A shelf came out, and its contents spilled on the floor.

Among these contents, was a photo. It was a large, framed picture of Cedric, arm in arm with Sophia. The two were smiling, as if there were no cares in the world. Utter happiness. Bert found his eyes tearing up. Pure joy. Was there anything to be gained by this? One part of him said there was. The other part of him said that the boy in front of him was his friend. It said that this was also Sophia's boyfriend, and Cyril's son.

"It's not fair..." Bert fell into Cedric's chest, weeping.

"What're you talking about?" Bert looked up to see Cedric. This was too much. The aardvark had removed his glasses, and his eyes were the same color as Lisa's. It couldn't be real. Bert blinked. This must be a dream. Cedric's eyes couldn't be the same color. He opened his eyes, hoping to see a deep red or green in Cedric's pupils.

He jumped back as if spiders were advancing towards him. He was gasping for air and he had a deep pain in his chest. Was he having a heart attack? "No!" Bert shrieked. He was wide-eyed, with a look of panic on his face.

"What's wrong?" Lisa asked. The raccoon's face was black and blue. Her features were mutilated by where his fists had been. Her left eye was puffed up.

She reached near him. "Let me help you, Bert..." Bert shrieked again. Her hand stung him. He threw his arms around her waist, and bawled.

Cedric put his hand on Bert's forehead. It was on fire. "It's alright, Bert..."

"Sheg..." Bert muttered.

"What?"

"Sheg ma... Bagpa..." Bert's eyes closed. He was unconscious. Cedric moved him onto his bed. He pushed the suitcase off and opened Bert's backpack. There were a few capsules of medicine inside. Cedric slid one of the capsules into Bert's mouth.

Cedric waited for fifteen minutes. Nothing to listen to, save the wind, the approaching rain, and Bert's snoring.

Cedric shook Bert, to check if he was better. "Li..." Bert mumbled. Cedric felt his friend's head again. The fever was fading away.

"Are you feeling better, Bert?" Cedric asked.

Bert's eyes opened slightly. "Come here, Lisa..." He said.

"What, Bert?" Cedric leaned in to hear. Bert pulled Cedric in and locked his lips around his friend's nose.

A deep shade of red came over Cedric. "Bert?" Cedric shook the raccoon. Bert broke off the kiss, and blinked a couple more times.

"C..." Bert's eyes bulged out, and his face turned red.

Bert covered his mouth with his hands. "Did I just... "

His friend chuckled. "Are you feeling better?" The red-cheeked Cedric asked.

"A lot better. Thanks, buddy."

"I'm sorry, Cedric. " Bert said. "Sorry for everything." He sat up in the bed.

Bert thought that it was time he asked his own questions. He showed Cedric the tin. "Why'd you make this?" He asked.

"I..." Cedric hesitated. "I got the idea when I thought of Sophia. I started the factory with funds I got from pops."

"It killed her, you know..."

"What did? Who?"

"Your makeup... Killed Lisa." Bert related the events that had brought him to Sneer Mansion.

Cedric gasped. "I didn't know what the makeup would do! Honest! That must be why pops brought me home!" Cedric said.

Bert clutched the yellow ticket and peered out of the door. "I heard something strange when I came up here, Bert." Cedric said.

"Maybe it was Ralph." Bert said. "He came with me to find Melissa."

"Why would Ralph or Melissa be here?" Cedric asked.

"Melissa went missing when I found Lisa. Ralph tagged along so he could find her. Everything's coming down to Cyril. That's the only answer I can think of."

"Well, I don't think pops would knowingly harm anyone. There must be something wrong with the machine." Cedric said.

"Let's go find out..." Bert said.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

The two heard a thud above them. "What was that?" Cedric said. Thuds were usually due to one of two things: negligent movers, or captives.

Bert put a finger to his lips. Another thud. "Something's going on upstairs..." Bert said.

Cedric opened the door to his room. "We've got to be quiet." Cedric said. "I think it's the pigs." Bert thought it could also be Ralph in trouble.

Bert made his way ahead of Cedric. A large wooden door stuck out at the top of the stairs. "It's coming from there." Cedric said. The two looked out a small window as they neared the door. Thunder ripped through the air.

A scream came from the other end of the door. "Let me go!" Melissa shouted.

"Get that tape on her!" One of the pigs said. More rumbling followed by a loud thud against the wall.

"We've gotta get in there." Bert said.

Bert checked the door. It was locked, as he had guessed. Picking it open would just alert them. Banging on it might cause the pigs to take their anger out on Melissa. Bert looked out to the window. "Cedric, come here..." He said.

Cedric saw where his friend was looking, and a bead of sweat made its way down his face. "Gee, Bert..." Cedric started.

"You try to get the pigs out here, and then rush into the room."

"But what're you going to use the window for?"

Bert grinned. "Leverage." Cedric stepped up to the window and looked down, roughly five stories of leverage to be precise.

Cedric gulped and went over to the door. "Pigs!" He mimicked Cyril's hoarse voice. The sounds in the other room stopped for a moment. Bert heard footsteps coming toward them and hid by the side of the door ready to grab whoever came out.

Click. The door was unlocked. Rattle. The door was opening. "Boss?" The pig had fallen for it. He didn't have time to register this trick before he felt his shirt being grabbed. "Hey!" He shouted. Bert dragged him to the window and held his head out.

"Get in there, Cedric!" The aardvark nodded and moved into the room.

The pig's cap fell off, plummeting down to the ground. "Let me go!" Floyd said to Bert.

Bert squeezed Floyd's neck, "You're gonna pay for biting me."

The other two came out of the room, leaving Cedric alone with Melissa. "Let him go!" Lloyd shouted. Lloyd grabbed Bert and tried to loosen his grip on Floyd's throat. Bert responded by lowering Floyd further outside, dangling his upper body outside the mansion.

The rain splashed Floyd in the face. It also made Bert's hands slippery, and he lost control of Floyd. "Oh no!" The two shouted. They threw Bert back and ran to save their brother. This was the chance Bert needed to get in to check Melissa. He looked into the room. Melissa was in one corner, with tape on her mouth. Cedric was untying her.

"You're gonna pay for this, raccoon!" Lloyd shouted. He had pulled Floyd back into the mansion, and the three regrouped.

There were few sounds in the room except for Melissa's muffled breathing and the steady rain from outside. He had found Melissa, but where was Ralph? "Melissa! You're okay!" Bert said.

He tore off the tape from her mouth. "Ouch!" Melissa rubbed her lips. The pigs were now running down the stairs, to Cyril's office.

"Cedric! You go try to stop 'em, Melissa'n I'll try to find Ralph!"

"Got it!" Cedric ran after the pigs. The two raccoons looked down at the factory.

"What happened to you, Melissa?"

"I managed to sneak up on one of the pigs before they tied me up. I asked him about Lisa, and he kept saying something about 'the wrong ingredients'. I think that's why she died, Bert..."

So it was an accident. That horrid word, the word he'd feared so much to hear, had now stepped in front of him. "There's only one way to find out if it's true!" Bert said. "We gotta get Ralph!"

Melissa's eyes lit up. "Ralph's here?"

"Yeah. He came with to rescue you."

"But how will we get down?"

"That's easy! Leave it to me." Bert took the rope that Melissa was tied up with, and started to lower it out the window. He fastened one end to a metal bar on the window.

They could hear footsteps running toward them. Must be Cyril's bears. "Come on, Melissa!" Bert helped her out the window, and down to the ground. As he made his way down the rope, the bears cut the rope, and Bert came crashing down.

"Quick, Bert! " Melissa said.

"Help!" A voice shouted.

Melissa saw the factory, pouring out smoke and ash in to the night sky. The horrid mix combined with rain, and muck came flowing down the walls of the factory. "That must be Ralph!" Melissa shouted.

The two stopped near the factory's front doors. They were wide open. "That's odd..." Melissa said.

"No time for that! Let's go!" They could hear Ralph's screams getting closer. The two hid behind boxes and crates once they entered the factory. Low lighting, mixed with muck falling from the poorly constructed ceiling, made for a hard time to see anything.

"Ralph!" Melissa shouted.

"Melissa?" A voice came back. Her ears pricked up and she found where he was screaming.

"Ralph! I'm coming!" Melissa said. Bert ran ahead of her, shining his flashlight in a dismal attempt to find their way.

There he was. Ralph was chained to the cosmetics machine. Bert jumped onto the nearby conveyor belt and examined the chains. They were loose.

"Stay back!" Ralph said.

"What're you-" The main doors closed, slamming shut and echoing throughout the factory. The windows closed, sealing in muck and smog.

"It's a trap!" Melissa said. Ralph's hands were free, but his legs were clamped in cuffs.

"I can't move my feet!" Ralph said. Bert shined his flashlight onto the cuffs. He noticed there was a small keyhole in them.

"Hold this, Melissa." Bert handed Melissa the flashlight. He unscrewed the top, and pulled out a spring that held the batteries in place. The raccoon bent this spring into a crude lock pick.

Melissa and Ralph started coughing, and smog was surrounding the group. "Hurry, Bert!" Melissa said. Bert fumbled and bumbled his way with the cuffs until the lock clicked open. Ralph jumped down, hand-in-hand with Melissa.

"Melissa!" Ralph pulled her in and kissed her. The two embraced amidst the smog.

"Ha ha ha!" A voice came over a loudspeaker.

"What suckers!" The old aardvark said. They were trapped. Bert, Ralph, and Melissa were trapped in the factory. Bert looked around for a way to escape. The windows were locked, the doors were sealed, and there was no underground escape.

"Over here!" Melissa shouted. Moonlight fell through the windows, onto a wooden beam. The smog made this light look like low-hovering fog. She was looking at a tall beam that led to a crisscrossed maze of wooden planks near the roof.

"Great idea, Melissa!" Bert said. "But how do we get up there?"

"We'll lift one another up." Ralph stood on the bottom, and Melissa and Bert formed a group. Bert was reaching for the plank when Melissa cocked her head, hearing something coming from the doors. Her ear rubbed against Bert's foot, and he started to giggle.

"Wah!" Bert lost his balance, but managed to grab onto the plank. He was hanging above everyone.

"Bert!" Melissa said, looking to the door.

The bears were coming. "Come on, Melissa!" Bert said. He lifted himself onto the plank and dangled his hands down to pull her up. She latched on and Bert pulled her up.

Just as Melissa got her bearings, she felt one of the bears' claws digging into her tail. She kicked the bear in the face. A shrill scream came from the bear as he fell back, clutching his nose. Melissa swung her leg up and then stood on the beam, with the others.

"What do we do now?" Ralph asked. The windows were covered with smog, save one moonlit opened window. They started running across the beams, towards it. Bert jumped out of the window, onto the roof.

"Come on!" Bert said. Melissa jumped down, followed by Ralph. They looked down to a steep two-story landing to the ground. There was no way they could simply leap down unharmed.

"Over there!" Melissa said. A storm drain led down. They climbed down and pressed against the mansion's wall. The wind and rain seemed enough of a shield for the bears not to see them.

"You look terrible!" Bert said. Ralph smiled at his friend. The smog blackened their fur.

"Look in the mirror!" Ralph put his hand on Bert's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Bert. I just got caught up in the thought of losing Melissa."

"That's alright, Ralph." Bert said.

Bert stared at Melissa for a minute. "Do you know what happened to Lisa?"

Melissa looked away. "We were looking at makeup in a magazine, and she wanted to try on the tin you gave her. It was fine for the first few minutes, but then it looked like she got a reaction to it. All one of the pigs told me was it was an a-" She cut herself off.

"An accident..." Bert finished her words.

The raccoon lowered his head. "One more thing... Do you know where she was talking about?"

"Who, Bert?"

"...Lisa. She said she was going to bring me somewhere tomorrow."

Melissa squeezed Bert's hand. "She was going to bring you to Evergreen Lake. She said that's where she first got the idea to pro-."

Bang. The pigs were outside, near the front door. They had flashlights. Ralph motioned for the other two to get down.

Slowly the group made their way near the pigs. Not five feet from them, hiding behind a hedge. One of the pigs came very close and started to sniff around.

Bert froze. "You three are in big trouble!" He peered up to see Cedric outside, holding an umbrella. The aardvark was angry. Bert decided that this was their chance to trap the pigs and get some answers.

The three raccoons rushed out of the hedge and made their way to the pigs. Lloyd, Boyd, and Floyd were banging on the front door to Sneer Mansion.

The pigs were surrounded. "Let us in!" Bert said.

"Let us in!" Ralph said.

"Not by the hair on our-" Lloyd slapped Boyd in the face.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Lloyd said.

"You're not getting in. And that's final!" Floyd said.

"Yeah! The boss can't find out we mes-" A slap now came to Boyd.

"Shut up!" Lloyd said.

"What do you mean, 'messed up'?" Ralph asked.

"We didn't mean for anything to happen!" Boyd said.

Bert's eyes fixed on the trio. "Looks like you know something about it... What do you know about Lisa?"

Sweat fell from their faces. "Nothing!" Floyd and Lloyd exclaimed in unison. A look of shock overtook the raccoons.

Was Sneer responsible at all? Was it all the pigs' doing? "You do know something about what happened to Lisa! Tell us!" Melissa said. Boyd was trying his best to not look anyone in the eyes. It looked as if he were about to fall asleep.

"Or else..." Ralph cracked his knuckles, giving Bert and Cedric a signal to do likewise. The trio managed to open the door. They would have been successful in closing it, had it not been for Cedric's long nose. Cedric reached for Lloyd, but fell forward and pinched his nose in the door.

"Help, Bert! I'm stuck!"

Bert opened the door, letting Cedric get his nose loose. "Let's go." Bert said. The four entered Sneer Mansion's main hall. Red carpet lined the floors, and two massive staircases flanked a large picture on one wall.

Boyd was making his way up the right staircase, Lloyd and Floyd the left. "You take the right, Cedric'n I'll take the left." Bert said. The group split up to catch the pigs before they could get to Cyril.

"They're gaining on us!" Lloyd said.

"I know that!" Floyd shouted. As he made it to the top of the stairs, he unrolled the carpet and pushed it down, creating a snowballing effect. Cedric fell backwards, into Bert. The two crashed on the ground. Melissa and Ralph were chasing after Boyd. Cyril's office lay down a corridor after the right turn. Melissa jumped and tackled Boyd.

Melissa looked into Boyd's eyes. Something was very wrong with him. A black blotch was showing on his right cheek, just as it had with Lisa. "I didn't mean to do it!" Boyd said. The pig was dying, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Let him go!" Floyd shouted. Melissa eyed the other two. Would they understand what their brother was going through?

Ralph rushed at Floyd. "That's far enough!" A familiar voice said. Every eye in the mansion was concentrated on Cyril Sneer. Melissa's breathing became uneasy, as she felt the barrel of her pistol on the back of her head.

"Pops!" Cedric shouted.

"Don't move!" Cyril said. With his free hand, he motioned the pigs to step forward. Ralph started to walk toward Cyril, along with the pigs. "Stay there!" The old aardvark lifted the pistol from Melissa's head and aimed it at Ralph.

Ralph's eyes went wide. "Ralph!" Melissa screamed.

Boyd was fixated on Melissa. Their eyes locked on each other. In that moment, these two seemed to speak volumes, without saying anything. Boyd took off his cap, and started to walk toward Ralph. In an exaggerated motion, he spread his arms out in front of Ralph, like a shield.

"Boyd!" The other two said.

Boyd was wheezing. "Stay... Stay there!" Boyd said. He coughed. "This has to end. If you're going to shoot anyone, Mister Sneer, you're going to... To have to go through me."

His eyes should have held clear tears, but instead were filled with a blackish liquid that ran down Boyd's face. "No!" The other two screamed.

"You fool!" Cyril said. "Just give me those tickets, and it'll all be done with! No one's died yet, and no one'll have to die, either!"

"...You don't know what happened, do you, Mister Sneer?" Ralph said.

"Of course I do! You're not getting those tickets! My mistake won't cost me money!" Cyril pushed Melissa forward and ran to his office.

"Your makeup killed my niece!" Ralph shouted. Boyd fell forward, and Ralph caught him before his brothers came to hold him up.

Everyone was stunned for a few seconds. Melissa ran to Ralph and embraced him. Bert and Cedric made it to the top of the stairs. Bert agreed with the pigs. This had to end. They all had to tell Cyril the truth about what happened.

Cedric approached his father's office door, which was key coded. "Pops?" Cedric said.

"It's not true! I never killed anyone!" Cyril shouted.

Bert pounded on the door. "Let us in!" Cedric pulled Bert away from the door, and Ralph stepped up to try his hand.

"I'll get my lawyers in here! My products never killed anyone!" Cyril shouted.

"Mister Sneer, there's been a big misunderstanding. Just let us in and we can talk it out." No response. Melissa moved forward. She was ready to kill; everyone could see that. She reached for the door.

Melissa heard a faint voice from behind her. "O... O... One." Boyd said.

Boyd's brothers knew what he was getting at. "Three." Floyd said.

"Two." Lloyd said.

Melissa looked at the door. "That's the combo..." Boyd said, giving her a faint smile.

"...Thanks." Melissa returned the gesture to Boyd. No one wanted to see anyone else harmed; they had all, it seemed, melded into one mind after Cyril made for his office.

Melissa entered the code. 1-3-2. Beep. She heard a click, and turned the knob. Cyril Sneer was sitting in his chair as everyone entered. He was looking outside, into the night sky. Rain was coming down in buckets.

"...You know..." Cyril began. "The rain sounds a lot like my cooling system..."

"Mr. Sneer..." Ralph said. Ralph walked over to Cyril, who still had his back to the group. "You need to do something about that factory. Your makeup killed my niece, Lisa."

This, like any threat of libel, made Cyril turn around with his fists raised. "The only problem that I know about here is the tickets. " Cyril said.

Bert walked up by Ralph, and then up to Cyril. He brought out the tin from his pocket. "Look at this, Cyril..."

Bert opened the tin to show its black contents. "That's not the right color!" Cyril glared at the pigs. "What did you three do!" Lloyd and Floyd started to shake, but Boyd did not.

Boyd knew that the boss did not know what happened. "Well, sir, we accidentally put in the wrong ingredients." Boyd said. His head was hung down, his cap off. He was an honest opposite of his two conniving brothers who wanted to cover their hides.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Cyril stomped over and grabbed Boyd by the collar. The old aardvark's cigar was an inch from Boyd's face, and the pig shook, fearing the cigar would destroy his eye.

"I... I thought I could handle it!" Boyd said.

"...Handle what?" Lloyd said.

"You remember that towel you asked about?" Boyd said, slowly turning his head to Lloyd.

"You boys are going to pay for your mistake!" The two pigs huddled together, trembling.

Lloyd and Floyd feared the response, but they could not keep Boyd from saying it. "I found it. That muck-" Boyd fell limp into Cyril's arms before he could finish his sentence.

"BOYD!" The other two shouted.

"Wake up, you bacon breathed blabbermouth!" Cyril threw Boyd back, and the unmoving mass crashed into his brothers.

Cyril looked to the factory that was still billowing small bits of smoke into the air. He imagined the smoke filling the girl's form, and eating her away, just as the smog was eating away at clean air around the mansion.

He saw the photo on his desk of the two most important people in his life; his wife, and his son. The old tycoon knew the pain of losing a wife, and he didn't want Cedric, or any other person, to go through the horror of losing theirs due to his lust for profit. "I'm..." Cyril began. He turned to Cedric.

Cedric's eyes were watering, and he removed his glasses to wipe them. "I didn't know, son." With that, he began to sniffle, and rushed over to hug his son.

"You didn't know, pops..." Cedric said.

"You need to get rid of that factory, Cyril." Bert said.

Cyril Sneer slammed his fist on the wall. "I'll do something better..." He said.

* * *

Bert Raccoon walked through a large park area to meet Ralph and Melissa, and to take the walk he'd been taking every week for the past year. He stared into the modest pond fountain in the center of the walkway, with its small inscription, 'IN MEMORY OF L.R.'. He looked into the pool of flowing water, as if to wait and see her image. His chain of thought was broken by a loud giggling, coming near him.

Ralph and Melissa were meeting him today, as he'd hoped. "Hey, Bert!" Ralph said. Melissa waved to Bert.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Melissa asked the boys.

"Let's go to the lake!" Bert said.

"Sounds like a plan." Ralph said. The three headed off in the direction of Evergreen Lake.

"I just can't believe Boyd died from sniffing those powder grains..." Bert said. He pointed to a hedge maze, where two pigs in prison garb were pruning and trimming.

He watched Cyril Sneer standing alongside them. "I think Cyril's changed..." The old aardvark was shouting through a loudspeaker.

Three Irish wolfhounds stood behind Cyril. "Boy!" Cyril shouted.

"Yes, Boss?"

"Not you!" Cyril said.

"Then, which one of us Boss?"

"Why are you all named the same?"

"We're not, Boss. I'm Kev." The first said.

"I'm Kevin." Said the second.

"And I'm Caoimhin!" The third chimed in.

"Blast! Cyril scowled at them.

"You're right, I think he has changed..." Ralph said. Bert, Melissa, and Ralph headed to the sparkling waters of Evergreen Lake.

THE END


End file.
